The use of containers for the enclosure of items being moved or stored is commonplace. Containers provide convenience for organization and protection of goods during their moving and storage. Containers of a size and weight such that they can generally be carried by one or two people when loaded are widely available in a variety of sizes, shapes and material construction.
Containers commonly used for moving and storage suffer from many disadvantages. Cardboard boxes are generally weak and tend to buckle when being carried or when stacked one on top of another. They provide little protection of contents from water, fire, rodents, etc. Cardboard boxes lack resiliency and can often be used only once. Being susceptible to water damage they are difficult to clean for reuse. Cardboard containers often rely on the load bearing capability of contents to provide support for the stacking of other containers thereon.
Plastic containers in common use, while offering certain improved characteristics over cardboard boxes still suffer many disadvantages.
One severe disadvantage of commercially available containers is their lack of versatility, in use. Conventional containers generally have a fixed capacity. In order to obtain a different enclosed volume, it is generally necessary to obtain another container of different size.
The limitation of having to provide a different sized container in order to cater to different sized items or quantities thereof is highly disadvantageous. For instance, a manufacturer must manufacture, stock, and market various sizes of containers. End users also must stock different sizes. Inventory control becomes increasingly difficult with an increase in the number of different sizes of boxes which are stocked. Decisions regarding the size to be used on site must be made in advance in order to ensure availability of appropriately-sized containers for moving and storage. Automated washing of different sized boxes is more difficult than washing uniformly sized boxes. The stacking and organization of containers in storage is greatly complicated when various sizes of containers are used.
In addition, it is particularly awkward when a container is full and a little extra is left over which must be put into a new container. It would be advantageous to have a container the internal capacity of which could be expanded, if only by a small amount.